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SPORTS Saturday 29 december 2018

SafeSport CEO Shellie Pfohl

to step down next month

By EDDIE PELLS enough investigators to ect still ongoing.
AP National Writer handle the all the cases, Pfohl, however, has deftly
Shellie Pfohl is stepping many of which poured in in handled her appearances
down as CEO of the U.S. the wake of the Larry Nas- before Congressional com-
Center for SafeSport after sar abuse revelations and mittees looking into the
helping the organization the #Metoo movement. abuse scandals, explain-
gain footing over a two- The center operates on a ing the complexities for a
year period of slow-but- budget of around $6.4 mil- startup designed to take
steady progress. lion a year. A few months responsibility for miscon-
Pfohl started in Novem- ago, Congress awarded duct claims that used to be
ber 2016, and the center the center a $2.2 million handled by the U.S. Olym- In this May 23, 2018, file photo, U.S. Center for SafeSport President
opened in March 2017 to grant spread over three pic Committee and the and CEO Shellie Pfohl testifies before the House Commerce
become the clearinghouse years, but with the caveat dozens of individual sports Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee about the Olympic
for all reports of sex abuse that the money could not organizations it oversees. community’s ability to protect athletes from sexual abuse, on
in U.S. Olympic sports. be used for investigations . “I deeply believe that our Capitol Hill in Washington.
The center has received The center has received nation’s sport culture must Associated Press
more than 1,800 reports criticism for not act- change if we are to see her departure. Becker is a former FBI spe-
and declared nearly 300 ing quickly or decisively athlete well-being at its Regis Becker, a member of cial agent who started
individuals permanently in- enough in some cases, and centerpiece — that’s what the center’s board of di- Penn State’s ethics and
eligible. for not publishing a com- the U.S. Center for SafeS- rectors, will serve as interim compliance program in the
Among Pfohl’s biggest prehensive banned list that port is all about,” Pfohl said CEO after Pfohl’s departure wake of the Jerry Sandusky
challenge has been hiring covers all sports — a proj- in a statement announcing next month. child sex-abuse scandal.q

UfC

Continued from Page 18 persona combined with his
brute brilliance in compe-
“It’s not an easy decision to tition has made him irre-
make,” White said. “You’ve sistible to many fight fans.
got to pull the trigger and According to Jones, some
you’ve got to make moves. root for his success, while
You’re not going to make others yearn for his failure
everybody happy. You with similar passion — but
can’t make every fan, ev- both camps buy his fights.
ery fighter happy. We did Jones claims he thought
everything we could to about quitting the sport
make it better.” while he spent the past
Not every fighter will agree year pounding a heavy
after getting a shrunken bag in his garage in Albu-
paycheck due to Cali- querque, New Mexico. He
fornia’s state income tax. reclaimed his light heavy-
White flatly said the UFC weight title in July 2017 with
won’t compensate the a win over Daniel Cormier,
fighters for any lost income only to lose it again due to
due to the move. another failed doping test. In this Nov. 2, 2018, file photo, Jon Jones, left, and Alexander Gustafsson face off while posing for
But the pay-per-view au- “I was hated, and turn- photographers during a news conference talking about their light heavyweight mixed martial arts
dience still gets a stacked ing it all off is the easy way bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.
show headlined by the first to deal with it,” said the Associated Press
fight in nearly 1 1/2 years 31-year-old Jones, who is has stewed over the loss for 10 pounds to challenge it now.”
for Jones (22-1), the self- fighting for only the third years, and he was infuriat- the most feared women’s Nunes scrapped her way
sabotaging superstar who time in nearly four years of ed by Jones’ latest doping fighter in MMA history. Jus- to the top of the bantam-
tested positive for very low his athletic prime. troubles. He labeled Jones tino (20-1) hasn’t lost a fight weight division and subse-
levels of an anabolic ste- “Financially, I didn’t have a cheater Thursday and since 2005, battering every quently battered Ronda
roid earlier this year. to fight anymore. I could vowed to make the former contender with her peer- Rousey into retirement. Al-
The result isn’t considered afford to delete my social champion “eat everything less power and athleticism. though she is an obvious
a failed doping test by the media accounts and just he says on Saturday night.” She has long been reluc- underdog, Nunes believes
U.S. Anti-Doping Agen- ride off into the sunset. But “You put illegal stuff in your tant to fight Nunes because she can claim Cyborg’s
cy, but the Nevada Ath- I didn’t want to do that. I body, but it won’t help she is a fellow Brazilian, but mantle as the greatest fe-
letic Commission wanted still want to compete and you this time,” Gustafsson changed her mind after male fighter.
a hearing on the matter be the best.” He returns said. “I’m ready to end this. Nunes repeatedly called “This is for the (title of the)
in January. Its California to fight Gustafsson (18-4), I’ve learned how to dig her out. “After everything baddest woman on the
counterpart had no such who provided Jones with deeper.” The other cham- she has said, I know that planet,” White said. “I love
qualms, prompting the the toughest fight of his pionship bout at UFC 232 if I beat her now, nobody this fight. I’ve wanted this
UFC’s extraordinary move. life in 2013. Jones won the is every bit as compelling back (in Brazil) will look fight for a long time. Any-
Jones has made innumer- decision, but was battered as the main event thanks at me like I did the wrong time you can put a fight
able mistakes outside the and humbled by the Swed- to the bravery of Nunes thing,” Justino said. “She is together between two
octagon, but that bad-boy ish contender. Gustafsson (16-4), who is moving up asking for it, so she can get champions, I love that.”q